The ex-rugby player is determined to go home within weeks (Picture: Matt Syron/SWNS)
A dad-of-two who had glass smashed into his face has talked about losing his eyesight and trying to recover after the violent attack.
Matthew Syron, 32, had his life turned upside down when a stranger slammed a glass in his face on a night out in Leeds on Boxing Day last year.
The former Leeds Rhino player, who was visiting in the UK from his home in Australia on the fateful night, previously revealed his disappointment over the attacker Gareth Dean’s 11-year jail sentence.
The months after the attack have been a painful waiting game for Matthew, who has not been able to work or see his children.
Matthew Syron has lived with his dad since the attack in Leeds (Picture: Lee McLean/SWNS)
A couple of days after the attack (Picture: Matt Syron/SWNS)
The electrician, who runs his own business back in Wollongong, Australia, told exclusively to Metro.co.uk: ‘I’d say the first hour of the day is the worst.
‘It’s the waking up, my eyes getting used to the light, but I’ll try get some training done. That’s the worst part of the day.’
Sadly since his attack, others have been injured in similar incidents, including 36-year-old mum Natalie Arthurs who was slashed in the face with broken glass in a bar bathroom.
She joined Matthew calling glass to be banned in bars after 9pm.
He said: ‘Her story is horrific. The attacker will only do two-and-a-half years. It’s ridiculous.’
Matthew has now endured four surgeries to his right eye doctors are trying to save.
Two of the surgeries were within days of each other after they discovered a problem with his retina during a check-up just 48 hours after an operation.
‘The left eye is still blinded,’ he said.
And it is never going to fully heal, with a glass eye a likely replacement in the future.
The triathlonist previously said how having to rely on others in the weeks after the attack made him feel like ‘a baby’ which was ‘soul destroying.’
Now some of those dark thoughts have improved thanks to his loved ones and staying ‘physically and mentally fit.’
He said: ‘I’ve come to terms with every situation. I’ve come to terms with where I’m at, I’ve accepted it.’
Matthew with his partner Keone Rawiri and son Brixon (left) and daughter Meka Rose (Picture: Matt Syron/SWNS)
Doing things himself has also gotten ‘better’.
‘I built this house with my dad. I know my way around – I can get around fully blind. It’s something you learn over time,’ he said.
‘I still have family and friends coming over every day.
Return home to his partner Keone Rawiri and two children, Brixon and Mika Rose, could happen within two months – or even sooner if doctors give a go-ahead to flying.
Matthew said: ‘You have no idea, I think about it all the time – my son running up to me, I might fall on the floor. It will be like winning the lottery.
Keone Rawiri came to visit him in Leeds in early February, but she has stayed busy back in Australia as ‘she is a full-time working mum and she has a business to run.’
Although not being able to work has been ‘tricky’, he praised the men who work for him in Australia.
‘Luckily, the lads who work for me understand the ins and outs – they took the ball and ran with it. I’ve lost a little bit of money because I’m not there, but they are running it,’ he explained.
He also thanked the NHS for the ‘unbelievable care’ he has received when being in and out of the hospital.
While the campaign to ban glass in bars and nightclubs in the UK is going ‘really well,’ he was at ‘a crossroads,’ Matthew said.
‘I’ve met as many people I can think of – I’ve been on newspaper, TV, radio. I need someone else to take that on,’ he added.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.